A cherished Fast Ford made ready for a proud duty
The London based owner of this much revered classic fast Ford contacted me to help him realise a bit of a dream. With his wedding fast approaching, his beautiful bride-to-be had agreed that the Cosworth could be the car that would take them from the church as a married couple for the first time. Very happy to oblige, I arranged a weekend to visit the family home on the Suffolk coast where the car is kept, in order to make it fit for the upcoming duties.
Having been in the family since nearly new, this 1996 Escort RS Cosworth is one of the last of the 7145 production run. Based on the Mk5 Escort, it was given permanent 4 wheel drive, a Garrett T25 turbocharger (smaller than the Garrett T3 item fitted to the initial 2500 cars produced for homologation, making for much better driveablity on the road), and while towards the end of the run the famous ‘Whale Tail’ spolier was a no-cost delete option, most people chose to keep it fitted. Finding an original, unmodified, low mileage example like this one is now very hard indeed.
Arriving early on a bright Spring Saturday, I was keen to get cracking after my long journey. The door to the large garage was opened, revealing a gaggle of evocative classic driver’s cars, including this one. Due to the logistics of the situation, the car is very rarely driven, so was covered in a thick layer of dust and cobwebs that were even more evident once outside.
First job was to remove all this grime. Using a well diluted citrus based detergent, I went through several cycles of soaking the car, then rinsing using the pressure washer turned down low. Once most of the dirt was gone, or well loosened, a regular wash was carried out using a soft lambswool washmit to remove anything remaining. At this time the engine bay was also degreased, scrubbed and finally rinsed, ready to be dressed later (not pictured).
With the car clean, the swirls and general dullness of the original Imperial Blue paint were very evident.
I clayed the car, removing surprisingly little contamination in the process, then checked the paint using a depth gauge to identify any areas of concern. This proved to be invaluable, because while it all appeared to be completely original, the paint was relatively thin with some very thin areas on the roof, bonnet and lower doors. Once I started polishing, it was immediately obvious the paint was also extremely soft. This meant that whilst correcting the defects was easy, including some bad bird mess etchings, finishing the paint to a brilliant hologram-free gloss was actually very challenging and time consuming. Also, because of the thin paint, great care would be needed together with the correct polish and technique to safely achieve the desired finish without compromising the integrity of the clearcoat.
After a bit of experimentation, a good working combination was found with excellent results.
Pushing on, I prepared the paint for wax by using Swissvax Cleaner Fluid, after which I applied the protective layer of Swissvax Divine. While this was curing, I turned my attention to the interior. After a thorough vacuum of all the surfaces to remove a light layer of dust, I then turned to the gorgeous leather Recaro seats. Using a soft brush with a pH neutral Swissvax Leather Cleaner, I treated each seat in turn, working the brush with the grain of the leather, leaving them looking brand new again. All plastic surfaces were wiped down before being covered with Swissvax Matt Protection. This leaves a dry, satin finish, giving valuable protection against potential damage from UV light which can otherwise cause an interior to fade in colour and become brittle. The final touch was to ensure the glass was clean and crystal clear.
The eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed the numbers on the odometer. The mileage on this car is genuine, having covered just 14967 miles from brand new. This helps to explain the other clues to the originality of the car, like the factory stickers still in the windows looking as though it had just left the showroom.
With the interior completed, I returned my attention to the outside where I buffed off the cured wax, applied Autobahn wheel wax to the alloys, and spent some time ensuring all the panel gaps were free of dust. The end result was a delighted Bride & Groom, proud of their unusual wedding carriage.
I’m very glad to say the car performed faultlessly on the big day, and apparently looked fabulous in the photographs.
Testimonials
“I would definitely recommend anyone to use Shine On regardless of marque, Paul is a genuinely nice bloke who has the rare attributes of actually loving his job and doing it to the best of his ability (bordering on OCD). I personally plan to use this service at least every 8months to keep the cars looking at their best.
And to top it all off…..even my wife commented on how and I quote ‘amazing’ it looked, that testimony alone is worth its weight in gold!
Andy (M3 and Battle Bus!)”
